boat. When they were seated, the king was
requested to give instructions to his young men
how to capture Shekka o f Bumbireh and
two Bumbireh chiefs; and a solemn promise was
given that on their appearance the king o f Iroba
and his friends would be released. The natives
o f Iroba, who were collected b y this time on
the beach, entered into the project with animation.
T h e y declared that next day Shekka
should be in my hands.
On the morning o f the 27th, a canoe from
Iroba came with provisions for the king and
chiefs, and to report their failure at Bumbireh.
One o f the young men, said to be the king’s son,
offered to remain in his father’s place, while he
himself should try to obtain possession of
Sh ekk a s person. This touching confidence so
affected me that, after inducing the king o f
Iroba to go through the process o f blood-
brotherhood with one o f the Wangwana, he
was released.
A t 5 p .m ., faithful to his promise that he
would perform what I wished, the king o f Iroba
brought the treacherous king o f Bumbireh with
two o f his chiefs, whose appearance, after he
had landed at Mahyiga and been recognized,
was hailed with a loud shout b y the Wangwana.
He was about to be maltreated, and had I not
been present at the time, there is no doubt that
he would have been murdered b y the enraged
boat’s crew. But th ey calmed down when they
were told that his life and services were necessary
to us, and that go od treatment might
secure his friendship and peace with Bumbireh.
My purpose in possessing myself o f the
person o f the king o f Bumbireh and his two
chiefs may easily be divined. It must have been
perceived that weakness and irresolution— or,
in other words, over-gentleness and want of
firmness— had proved harmful on several p revious
occasions. Thus, the hesitation to act immediately
after the commission o f murder b y the Wanyaturu
led them to imagine that it was fear which
withheld us; the forbearance exhibited at Ngevi
Island only brought upon us more annoyance;
our mildness at Mombiti in Uvuma suggested
the attack upon us b y stoning; our long-suffering
temper at the straits between Uvuma and U g e y e y a
induced the Wavuma to proceed to piracy and
violence; our patient bearing at Bumbireh led
the natives to think that we might be murdered
like lambs; our placability merited and received
the contempt o f the natives of Iroba; and a
hundred times afterwards did I see that the
savage only respects force, power, boldness, and
decision; and that he is totally ignorant o f the
principles which govern the conduct o f Christian
man to man. Forbearance is to him cowardice;
mildness, patience,, and an equable temper are,
in his undeveloped and unreasoning mind, only